Take two

“God of all goodness, give us generous hearts to welcome your word and receive your Spirit so we can know your will in the midst of our anxieties and frustrations. May we rejoice in the fruit you bring from our efforts to hear your Word and follow your Spirit. Give us today the bread of faith.”

Having cleared up Jonah’s “hesitancy” to do what he was told to do, the Lord takes it once more from the start.  After a futile attempt to run away, having been rescued by God from the belly of the whale, Jonah hears the Lord say again, “Go preach repentance in Nineveh!”  And off he goes.

We are told that it should have taken three days just to cover the territory, so big was Nineveh.  But after a single day of work on Jonah’s part, the entire city (an “enormously large city”) repents in sackcloth and ashes!  Effective preaching?  No, the extraordinary conversion of this great mass of people has nothing to do with zeal on the part of Jonah.  The Lord wants this city to be converted and the Lord brings it about, even through a reluctant mouthpiece.  It’s the power of the message, and not the messenger that brings about success.

For all of Jonah’s reluctance, in the end he does exactly what he is told:  he preaches God’s message (not his own).  Though we might have preferred a more willing spirit, Jonah provides all that is necessary for a successful mission in God’s sight:  he does what God asks.

Perhaps the most important question we can ask at the start of each day is:  Lord, what do you want?  What do you want me to say, to do—today?  Without that kind of radical questioning, our best intentions are doomed to fail.  In case we doubt, Jonah’s tale reminds us that God has some very definite wants and desires!  

No place to hide

Jesus, help me to remember who my neighbor is by putting him in my path.  Then teach me how to introduce him to You through my actions.  Amen.

Like Jonah (Jonah 1:1:2:1-2, 11) we all have been commissioned by God for a specific purpose, and sadly, too often we go to great lengths to avoid doing what God asks of us.

Many of us would have been better off if we too had been swallowed by a whale and brought quickly to our senses within a matter of three days. But instead, we toss around like a sinking ship and nearly take down everyone else around us.

There is no place to hide from the Lord. We can try, but in the end we all will experience the darkness of the belly of the whale. The question is - what kind of shore will we be eventually spat up upon?

O Lord, we pray, let it be the shore of heaven.

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” (Mohandas Gandhi)

The garden of the gods

O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see; take care of this vine, and protect what Your right hand has planted;  the Son of Man Whom You Yourself made strong. (Psalm 80: 15-18)

One of my favorite “day trips” with the family is to the Napa Valley.  Not for the wine but for the panorama of the vineyards.  All of the beautiful colors, landscape, architecture, and of course the different variety of grapes is magnificent!  No wonder God used the image a vineyard to describe the chosen people of Israel in Isaiah. (Isaiah 5: 1-7)  Isaiah uses the  “Song of the Vineyard”  to describe how his friend, God, went to elaborate pains in constructing his vineyard, with ditches and a tower for protection, and a winepress for squeezing out the precious grape juice that would become delicious wine.

The reading goes on to tell how disappointed God was when all that the vineyard produced was wild grapes, unfit for a good yield. All that work and loving care came to nothing! God promised to tear down that vineyard and let it revert to pasture land. Even as Isaiah was prophesying, the Assyrians were pounding at the gates of Jerusalem, about to destroy the city.

Jesus then uses that same image of a vineyard to describe Jerusalem in His time. Matthew 21: 33-43)  He focused on the unfaithful people who, by their sin and failure to listen to the prophets, had brought God's anger down on themselves.  Jesus' reference to the killing of the King's only Son was not lost on the Pharisees. They had already decided to kill this Jesus who claimed to be the Son of God. Jesus' words enraged them, and their hearts were further hardened against Him.

In the early days of America, trading companies and land agents, eager to bring Europeans to our shores, often described the new world as a garden of the gods, rich in natural resources and opportunity. And so it was! It was very much like the vineyard in Jesus’ parable.   Yet today, unless you live under a rock, you have to be aware that greed, selfishness, and sexual immorality are spoiling the garden.

This is Pro-Life month. Abortion and the culture of death are far from conquered. It is the worm killing the grapes in the vineyard and spoiling the garden. There is an axiom in law which states that the greater the person offended, the greater the offense itself. Since God Himself was the victim in Jesus’ parable, the offense against Him was beyond measure. Jesus directed the story He told then at the Pharisees. Who does He direct it to in today's society?

We are the workers in God's Vineyard which the Lord has given us to tend. Are we working hard enough to stop what is killing the grapes?

October is also the month of the Rosary. Here is a powerful weapon that is ours to pray each day for a restoration of America, God's Garden that once produced such goodness and responsible citizenship.

October--the Month of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

The word Rosary means "Crown of Roses".

I heard once that Our Lady had revealed to several people that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving her a beautiful rose and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses.

The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions and it is, in my opinion, the most important devotion after the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome story of our salvation.

When we pray the Rosary we meditate the mysteries of joy, of light, of sorrow and the glory of Jesus along with Mary. It's a simple prayer, and humble; so much like Mary.

It's a prayer we can all say together with her, the Mother of God. With the Hail Mary we invite her to pray for us.  She joins her prayer to ours. What Mary asks for she always receives, because Jesus will never say no to anything His Mother asks of Him.

In every apparition, the heavenly Mother has invited us to say the Rosary as a powerful weapon against evil, to bring us to true peace.

With our prayer made together with our heavenly Mother, we can obtain the great gift of bringing about a change of hearts and conversion. Each day, through prayer we can drive away from ourselves and from our homeland many dangers and many evils.

It can seem a repetitive prayer but instead it is like two sweethearts who many times say one another the words: "I love you!”.

Loosely speaking

Let the words of my mouth be acceptable,

the thoughts of my heart before you,

LORD, my rock and my redeemer.  (Psalms 19:15)

Whoever listens to you, listens to me. . . . (Luke 10:13-16)

If others know you are a Christian and a Catholic, when you speak, you speak representing that faith and God's Church and by extension God Himself. Every word out of our mouths is a word by which the truth that we live will be weighed.

In the letter of James we are warned that loose speaking is the enemy of God's work (James 3). If we speak loosely about people, events, or things, people will see that in us. They will say, “Ah, so this is Christianity”.  It isn't fair, but it is the way that people work. No, we're not always in good moods; we're not always the best representatives of Jesus. But when we speak and people listen, they are listening to a representative of Jesus. For other people we are Jesus, our words are His words.

This is not to say that we shouldn't talk, but only that we should, through prayer and requesting help from the Holy Spirit, speak only what is edifying or helpful to those in need. We needn't always be mouthing empty pieties, but we also needn't be trash-talking our neighbors, our government (well, maybe just a little bit), or for that matter, anything. We need to listen with the Spirit within us and respond as He dictates - with counsel and advice or with joy and merriment. After all, Jesus did attend the festivities at Cana (John 2:1-11), and there's no need to think He's always solemn or somber. Let our words reveal our hearts and He who dwells in them.



Trying to understand archangels

Heavenly King, You have given us archangels to assist us during our pilgrimage on earth.

Saint Michael is our protector; I ask him to come to my aid, fight for all my loved ones, and protect us from danger.

Saint Gabriel is a messenger of the Good News; I ask him to help me clearly hear Your voice and to teach me the truth.

Saint Raphael is the healing angel; I ask him to take my need for healing and that of everyone I know, lift it up to Your throne of grace and deliver back to us the gift of recovery.

Help us, O Lord, to realize more fully the reality of the archangels and their desire to serve us.

Holy angels, pray for us.  Amen.

 I do not understand everything.  And I do not understand anything at all in a perfect manner, and far from it.  And as I get older and see how rich and complex even the most simple things are in their nature and in what they imply, in their role as only a small part of God's creative love for us, I feel less and less sure of being able to adequately express any bit of my understanding whatsoever.

I do not understand angels.  I see dirt and rocks, moss and flowers, insects and fish and babies, and I can sense a growth in presence, power, and promise in that sequence.  I grasp a part of what human life is and is called to be, and I have no question that Jesus has bridged the upward gap that separates us creatures from rising to and living with His very own Godly life.

I can see where a being somewhat like me might fill a niche in that scheme, a being who is all that I am, and then some, but without a body, a being who is, like God, all at once and not living its existence in creeping moments and incomplete acts.  But I do not understand what an angel really is, much less archangels, dominions, and the others.

Pope Saint Gregory the Great has the following to say in one of his homilies I read in the Office of Readings for September 29^th:

You should be aware that the word “angel” denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message. Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called archangels.

Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform. In that holy city, where perfect knowledge flows from the vision of almighty God, those who have no names may easily be known. But personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they come among us. Thus, Michael means “Who is like God”; Gabriel is “The Strength of God”; and Raphael is “God’s Remedy.”

I pass into simple and unconstrained faith concerning their existence, and I stand astonished at the beauty of God's love for me, love that is filled with such marvels that not only pass my comprehension but my very imagination.  I live in gratitude that I do not have to understand the Unknowable One, or any of his creatures or acts, in order to believe and love.

I am reminded of the story of Jesus meeting Nathanael. (John 1:47-51) Jesus knows the heart of this man, reveals details about him that no human could know, and Nathanael is instantly convinced that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel. Jesus assures him that he will see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. This is a reference to the Old Testament story of Jacob who dreamed about a ladder that on it had the angels of God going up and down. Jacob awoke and named the place “Bethel,” the house of God. To him it was the very gate of heaven, the entrance and exit point for the angels of God going from heaven to earth and earth to heaven. Jesus to Nathanael: I am that gate. I am the one who is the very opening into the presence of God. Or, as John’s Gospel records in another passage, Jesus is “the way” to the Father. (John 14:6)

I revel in being thus reduced to the simplest child, living in the joy of my Father's love for me, shining in trust, gratitude, and praise.  And so I cherish the angels in all their glory, their simple majesty, the purity of their service, and their delight in seeing always the Father's face.

I celebrate God's love for me, a love that passes now and will always pass my simple and clumsy understanding.

The Grace to See His Blessings

O MY GOD and MY ALL, in Thy goodness and mercy, grant that before I die I may regain all the graces which I have lost through my carelessness and folly. Permit me to attain the degree of merit and perfection to which Thou didst desire to lead me, and which I failed by my unfaithfulness to reach. Mercifully grant also that others regain the graces which they have lost through my fault. This I humbly beg through the merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Virgin Mary.  Amen.

Yesterday, I spent the day with a co-worker as he performed his duties.  A lot of driving was involved, so we had the time to get to know one another.   As I was “hitting the highlights” of my life during our discussion, I found myself frequently getting reminded how God has been there for me and my family through it all.  While I was relating some of the negative experiences in my life, like deaths of loved ones, job changes, and the stresses of everyday life I saw, in hindsight, how these events had all played a part in my heavenly Father’s plan to bring me closer to Him.   I have no idea what I have done to warrant all the blessings He has given me, but I pray that He continues to bless me and my family and that He continues to shower the graces upon me to recognize His involvement in my daily life.  Praise God!

If you haven’t yet done so, take a few moments to read Nehemiah 2:1-8,Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 and Luke 9:57-62.  Read them aloud.  They are truly beautiful, poetic readings with rich and interesting messages for us.  The first reading tells us the story of Nehemiah choosing to leave his comfortable position to return to his ruined ancestral city of Jerusalem to help rebuild it - a task that would involve hardship and many risks.  He has to take a chance in even asking for permission to do this. Nehemiah throughout the passage, prays to God, and then voices his faith that it was God’s favorable hand that led the king and queen to say yes to his request.  What a reminder to us to pray for God’s help and then to recognize God’s favorable hand!  And then the psalm reminds us that we, like the psalmist, are to always remember Zion - the kingdom of God.

The Gospel at first reading seems to tell us not to care about or take care of the needs of our family.  Of course, Jesus is not really telling us to disregard family!  There are many other scripture passages that speak of our roles and obligations as family members, and we know that we are called to fulfill these obligations. 

I think the best way of looking at these readings is to see them as reflecting the radical nature of being true to God’s call. All of us at some time have to make a decision about following God.   Sometimes it is going to cost us dearly.  We will have to give up things that we may value deeply.  We have to ask ourselves if this cost is more than I am willing to pay. The enthusiasm for beginning is there, but what are we willing to give up in order to “stay the course”?   We often forget that it is a radical move when we follow Jesus.  It’s not the way of the world; it’s not the easy path.

The Gospel shows us that Jesus is calling us to put following Him as our top priority.  Nothing else, not burying our dead, tending to our crops, or any other task can ever be more important than following Christ.  As true disciples we must accept that following Christ requires a commitment that is always our highest priority, and we must be willing to pay the cost.

Things not going your way? Don't be discouraged!

“Lord, open my eyes to see your presence in everyone—even those I disagree with. Shower them with your blessings today, Father!”

 

Jesus’ teachings are not easy. The disciples accompanied Jesus and heard His teachings numerous times, yet even in Jesus’ presence, they wanted to fight back against those who didn’t treat them fairly. (Luke 9:51-56)  

Jesus calls us to more than what is our human nature. He urges us to fight not against those who do us wrong, but against what separates us from each other: perceived differences, hatred, fear.

Luke’s Gospel  reminds me that just because people don’t meet our expectations it doesn’t mean we should condemn them. God created all of us as unique individuals who have unique roles to play in life. Maybe the people of the Samaritan village were not to be the people holding a reception for Jesus; another village was to take on that role. We can’t get discouraged when life “appears to not go our way” - rather we need to stay in relationship with God and again, trust that events happen for a reason. 

We need to be people with prayerful hope who do not incite fear but rather trust that God will lead us to our destinations.